Shared terminal and display control method

ABSTRACT

A shared terminal includes circuitry, a receiver, and a transmitter. The circuitry accepts a turning-on to a power switch of the shared terminal that has been turned off, obtains specific terminal identification information for identifying the specific privately-owned terminal. The transmitter transmits, to a terminal management server, a request for login authentication. The receiver receives, from the terminal management server, an authentication result. The circuitry controls the display to redisplay an image that was displayed immediately before last turn-off of the power, in a case in which the last turn-off of the power was caused by turning-off operation to the power switch, and previous user identification information that is stored before the last turn-off matches the specific user identification information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2016-193262, filedon Sep. 30, 2016 and 2017-175448, filed on Sep. 13, 2017 in the JapanPatent Office, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedby reference herein.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a shared terminal, and a displaycontrol method.

Description of the Related Art

Recently, electronic whiteboards that can be shared by a plurality ofusers are disposed in various types of places such as meeting rooms incompanies or classrooms in educational institutions. The electronicwhiteboard is provided with a touch panel display of large size, onwhich each user draws an image with an electronic pen or his or herfinger. This enables the users to conduct a meeting or a lecture whileviewing a same image drawn by each user.

However, when a user accidentally presses a power switch during use of ashared terminal such as the electronic whiteboard, the shared terminalis turned off and the image data being drawn (displayed) is erased.

SUMMARY

A shared terminal that displays an image to be viewed by a plurality ofusers on a display, the terminal includes circuitry, a transmitter, anda receiver. The circuitry accepts a turning-on operation to a powerswitch of the shared terminal that has been turned off; and obtains,from a specific privately-owned terminal owned by a specific user of theplurality of users, specific terminal identification information foridentifying the specific privately-owned terminal, after accepting theturning-on operation to the power switch. The transmitter transmits, toa terminal management server, a request for login authenticationtogether with the specific terminal identification information obtainedby the circuitry, the terminal management server storing, for each oneof the plurality of users, user identification information foridentifying the user in association with terminal identificationinformation for identifying a privately-owned terminal owned by theuser. The receiver receives, from the terminal management server, anauthentication result including information indicating that the specificterminal identification information is a legitimate terminalidentification information and specific user identification informationthat is associated with the specific terminal identificationinformation, when the request for login authentication is approved basedon determination by the terminal management server that the specificterminal identification information received from the transmitter isstored in the terminal management server. The circuitry controls thedisplay to redisplay an image that was displayed immediately before lastturn-off of the power, in a case in which the last turn-off of the powerwas caused by turning-off operation to the power switch, and previoususer identification information that is stored before the last turn-offmatches the specific user identification information that is received bythe receiver. The circuitry controls the display not to redisplay theimage that was displayed immediately before the last turn-off of thepower, in a case in which the previous user identification informationthat is stored does not match the specific user identificationinformation received by the receiver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the embodiments and many of theattendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained andunderstood from the following detailed description with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of an electronic whiteboard, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of an integrated circuit (IC) card, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a smartphone, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a sever or a personal computer (PC), according to anembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a multifunctional peripheral, product or printer (MFP),according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a videoconference terminal, according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C each illustrates an example screen displayed by adisplay at the electronic whiteboard;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D each illustrates an example screen displayed bythe display at the electronic whiteboard;

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D each illustrates an example screendisplayed by the display at the electronic whiteboard;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are a schematic block diagram illustrating afunctional configuration of the communication system, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 12A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a terminal managementtable, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 12B is a conceptual diagram illustrating a destination managementtable, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 12C is a conceptual diagram illustrating a print data managementtable according to an embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a login process according toan embodiment;

FIGS. 14A, 14B, 14C and 14D each illustrates an example screen displayedby the display at the electronic whiteboard;

FIG. 15 is an illustration for explaining a use scenario of theelectronic whiteboard, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to anauthentication result when logging in, according to an embodiment, and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a process of turning off theelectronic whiteboard, according to an embodiment.

The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of thepresent invention and should not be interpreted to limit the scopethereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn toscale unless explicitly noted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specificterminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosureof this specification is not intended to be limited to the specificterminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specificelement includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function,operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended toinclude the multiple forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise.

Referring to the drawings, a communication system 1 is described indetail according to an embodiment.

<Overview of System Configuration>

First, an overview of a configuration of the communication system 1 isdescribed according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagramillustrating the communication system 1 according to the embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 of the embodimentincludes an electronic whiteboard 2 x, an electronic whiteboard 2 y, anintegrated circuit (IC) card 3, a smartphone 4, a terminal managementserver 5, a destination management server 6, a mail server 7, a printserver 8, a multifunction peripheral, product or printer (MFP) 9,personal computers (PCs) 10 a and 10 b, and a videoconference terminal13. For simplicity, in the following, any arbitrary one of theelectronic whiteboards 2 x and 2 y is referred to as the “electronicwhiteboard 2”. Any arbitrary one of the PCs 10 a and 10 b is referred toas the “PC 10”.

The electronic whiteboard 2, the terminal management server 5, thedestination management server 6, the mail server 7, the print server 8,the MFP 9, the PC 10, and the videoconference terminal 13 arecommunicable with one another through a communication network 100. Thecommunication network 100 is implemented by the Internet, mobilecommunication network, local area network (LAN), etc. The communicationnetwork 100 may include, in addition to a wired network, a wirelessnetwork in compliance with such as 3rd Generation (3G), WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution(LTE), etc. The electronic whiteboard 2, IC card 3, and smartphone 4 arecommunicable with one another using a near-distance communicationtechnology in compliance with such as Near Field Communication (NEC)(Registered Trademark). The smartphone 4 may communicate with theelectronic whiteboard 2 using the near-distance communication technologyin compliance with such as Bluetooth (Registered Trademark).

One of the electronic whiteboard 2 x and the electronic whiteboard 2 ytransmits or receives drawing image data representing a content drawn bya user (“drawing image data”), to or from the other one of theelectronic whiteboard 2 x and the electronic whiteboard 2 y. That is,the content drawn at the electronic whiteboard 2 x is displayed at theelectronic whiteboard 2 y, and the content drawn at the electronicwhiteboard 2 y is displayed at the electronic whiteboard 2 x.

The electronic whiteboard 2 generates image data in Refined PrintingCommand Stream (RPCS) based on the drawing image data, and transmits thegenerated image data to the MFP 9 through the communication network 100.The MFP 9 prints a drawing image based on the image data received fromthe electronic whiteboard 2. In another example, the electronicwhiteboard 2 generates image data in Portable Document Format (PDF)based on the drawing image data, and transmits an electronic mailattached with the generated image data to the PC 10 through thecommunication network 100. The PC 10 displays a drawing image based onthe image data extracted from the electronic mail.

The electronic whiteboard 2 may display an image other than the drawingimage drawn by the user (“non-drawing image”), such as an image of apresentation material or an image of a background displayed on a display220 provided with the electronic whiteboard 2. The electronic whiteboard2 generates image data in RPCS based on non-drawing image data, andtransmits the generated image data to the MFP 9 through thecommunication network 100. In another example, the electronic whiteboard2 generates image data in PDF based on the non-drawing image data, andtransmits an electronic mail attached with the generated image data tothe PC 10 through the communication network 100.

In this disclosure, the image data in RPCS and the image data in PDFeach is data relating to an image as a drawing image drawn by a user, ora non-drawing image displayed by a user, for example. The electronicwhiteboard 2 is an example of a shared terminal to be shared by aplurality of users. The plurality of users are able to view a same imagesimultaneously. The IC card 3 and the smartphone 4 are an example of aprivately-owned terminal, privately owned by each user. Preferably, theprivately-owned terminal is a portable terminal, which is easily carriedwith the user, such as to the meeting. The MFP 9 is an example of aprinter. The PC 10 is an example of an individual terminal operated byan individual user. Examples of the individual terminal include adesktop PC, a laptop PC, and a tablet. In this disclosure, theindividual terminal is a terminal that is operated by the user such as aterminal owned by the user. The PC 10 does not have to be brought to themeeting, as long as the user is able to access his or her email addressusing the PC 10. The image data may be in any suitable format other thanRPCS, such as in Printer Control Language (PCL), Page DescriptionLanguage (PDL), and Post Script (PS).

In FIG. 1, the user A, who owns the IC card 3, brings the IC card 3 to ameeting being held with the electronic whiteboard 2. The user B, whoowns the smartphone 4, brings the smartphone 4 to the meeting being heldwith the electronic whiteboard 2. The PC 10 a is any PC owned by theuser A. The PC 10 b is any PC owned by the user B. In one example, theelectronic whiteboard 2 may have a videoconference capability, to carryout a videoconference with the videoconference terminal 13 bycommunicating video data and audio data through the communicationnetwork 100.

The terminal management server 5 manages, for each privately-ownedterminal, terminal identification (ID) identifying the privately-ownedterminal. The destination management server 6 manages an email addressof the PC 10 owned by each user. In this disclosure, the email addressof the PC 10 owned by each user is an email address of each user, andthe email address is stored in the destination management server 6 inassociation with the user ID. The mail server 7 controls transmission orreception of electronic mails (emails) through the communication network100. The print server 8 is a server that implements so-called secureprinting. The print server 8 stores data reflecting the image datatransmitted from the electronic whiteboard 2 or PC 10 (in this example,print data), and, in response to a request from the MFP 9, transmits thedata relating to an image to the MFP 9.

<Hardware Configuration>

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 7, a hardware configuration of the apparatus orterminal in the communication system 1 is described according to theembodiment.

<Hardware Configuration of Electronic Whiteboard>

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of theelectronic whiteboard 2, according to the embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the electronic whiteboard 2 includes a central processing unit(CPU) 201, a read only memory (ROM) 202, a random access memory (RAM)203, a solid state drive (SSD) 204, a network interface (UF) 205, and anexternal device connection interface (I/F) 206.

The CPU 201 controls entire operation of the electronic whiteboard 2.The ROM 202 stores a control program for operating the CPU 201 such asan Initial Program Loader (IPL). The RAM 203 is used as a work area forthe CPU 201. The SSD 204 stores various data such as the control programfor the electronic whiteboard 2. The network I/F 205 controlscommunication with an external device through the communication network100. The external device connection I/F 206 controls communication witha USB memory 2600, and external devices such as a camera 2900, a speaker2800, a microphone 2700, etc.

The electronic whiteboard 2 further includes a capturing device 211, agraphics processing unit (GPU) 212, a display controller 213, a contactsensor 214, a sensor controller 215, an electronic pen controller 216, anear-distance communication circuit 219, and an antenna 219 a for thenear-distance communication circuit 219, a power switch 222, andselection switches 223.

The capturing device 211 causes a display 508 of the PC 10 to display astill image or a video image based on image data. The capturing device211 is connected to the PC 10 by a cable. This cable may be a cable foranalog RGB (video graphics array (VGA)) signal, a cable for componentvideo, or a cable for a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI)(registered trademark), a digital video interactive (DVI), an universalserial bus (USB), or a display port. The GPU 212 is a semiconductor chipdedicated to processing a graphical image. The display controller 213controls display of an image processed at the GPU 212 for output throughthe display 220 provided with the electronic whiteboard 2. The contactsensor 214 detects a touch onto the display 220 with an electronic pen2500 or a user's hand H. The sensor controller 215 controls operation ofthe contact sensor 214. The contact sensor 214 senses a touch input to aspecific coordinate on the display 220 using the infrared blockingsystem. More specifically, the display 220 is provided with two lightreceiving elements disposed on both upper side ends of the display 220,and a reflector frame disposed at the sides of the display 220. Thelight receiving elements emit a plurality of infrared rays in parallelto a surface of the display 220. The light receiving elements receivelights passing in the direction that is the same as an optical path ofthe emitted infrared rays, which are reflected by the reflector frame.The contact sensor 214 outputs an identifier (ID) of the infrared raythat is blocked by an object after being emitted from the lightreceiving elements, to the sensor controller 215. Based on the ID of theinfrared ray, the sensor controller 215 detects a specific coordinatethat is touched by the object. The electronic pen controller 216communicates with the electronic pen 2500 to detect a touch by the tipor bottom of the electronic pen 2500 to the display 220. Thenear-distance communication circuit 219 is a communication circuit thatcommunicates in compliance with the NFC, the Bluetooth, and the like.

The power switch 222 is a switch for turning on or off the power of theelectronic whiteboard 2.

The selection switches 223 are a group of switches for adjustingbrightness, hue, etc., of display on the display 220, for example.

The electronic whiteboard 2 further includes a bus line 210. The busline 210 is an address bus or a data bus, which electrically connectsthe elements in FIG. 2 such as the CPU 201.

The contact sensor 214 is not limited to the infrared blocking systemtype, and may be a different type of detector, such as a capacitancetouch panel that identifies the contact position by detecting a changein capacitance, a resistance film touch panel that identifies thecontact position by detecting a change in voltage of two opposedresistance films, or an electromagnetic induction touch panel thatidentifies the contact position by detecting electromagnetic inductioncaused by contact of an object to a display. In addition or inalternative to detecting a touch by the tip or bottom of the electronicpen 2500, the electronic pen controller 216 may also detect a touch byanother part of the electronic pen 2500, such as a part held by a handof the user.

<Hardware Configuration of IC Card>

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the IC card3 according to the embodiment. In this disclosure, the contactless ICcard is described, but contact IC card may be applied instead. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the IC card 3 includes an IC chip 310 and anantenna coil 330. The IC chip 310 further includes a CPU 311, a ROM 312,a RAM 313, an Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM (EEPROM) 314,and an antenna I/F 318.

The CPU 311 controls entire operation of the IC card 3. The ROM 312stores a control program for operating the CPU 311. The RAM 313 is usedas a work area for the CPU 311. The EEPROM 314 stores various data suchas the control program for the IC card 3, and terminal ID foridentifying the IC card 3, and the like. The antenna I/F 318 controlstransmission or reception of data with an external device via theantenna coil 330.

The IC card 3 further includes a bus line 320. The bus line 320 is anaddress bus or a data bus, which electrically connects the elements inFIG. 3 such as the CPU 311.

The antenna coil 330 generates an electric current, which is induced asthe IC card 3 passes an electromagnetic field generated by radio wavesemitted from an external device such as a reader and writer. The IC card3 uses the generated electric current to activate the IC chip 310, andcommunicates with the external device, that is the reader and writer, toobtain or provide data with the external device.

<Hardware Configuration of Smartphone>

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of thesmartphone 4 according to the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, thesmartphone 4 includes a CPU 401, a ROM 402, a RAM 403, an EEPROM 404, aComplementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor 405, anacceleration and orientation sensor 406, a medium I/F 408, and a globalpositioning system (GPS) receiver 409.

The CPU 401 controls entire operation of the smartphone 4. The ROM 402stores a control program for controlling the CPU 401 such as an IPL. TheRAM 403 is used as a work area for the CPU 401. The EEPROM 404 reads orwrites various data such as a control program for the smartphone 4 undercontrol of the CPU 401. The CMOS sensor 405 captures an object (mainly,the user operating the smartphone 4) under control of the CPU 401 toobtain captured image data. The acceleration and orientation sensor 406includes various sensors such as an electromagnetic compass orgyrocompass for detecting geomagnetism, and an acceleration sensor. Themedium IN 408 controls reading or writing of data with respect to arecording medium 407 such as a flash memory. The GPS receiver 409receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite.

The smartphone 4 further includes a far-distance communication circuit411, a camera 412, an imaging element I/F 413, a microphone 414, aspeaker 415, an audio input/output I/F 416, a display 417, an externaldevice connection I/F 418, a near-distance communication circuit 419, anantenna 419 a for the near-distance communication circuit 419, and atouch panel 421.

The far-distance communication circuit 411 is a circuit thatcommunicates with other device through the communication network 100.The camera 412 is an example of imaging device capable of capturing asubject to obtain image data under control of the CPU 401, and isincorporated in the smartphone 4. The imaging element UF 413 is acircuit that controls driving of the camera 412. The microphone 414 isan example of audio collecting device capable of inputting audio undercontrol of the CPU 401, and is incorporated in the smartphone 4. Theaudio I/O I/F 416 is a circuit for inputting or outputting an audiosignal between the microphone 414 and the speaker 415 under control ofthe CPU 401. The display 417 may be a liquid crystal or organic electroluminescence (EL) display that displays an image of a subject, anoperation icon, or the like. The external device I/F 418 is an interfacecircuit that connects the smartphone 4 to various external devices. Thenear-distance communication circuit 419 is a communication circuit thatcommunicates in compliance with the NFC, the Bluetooth, and the like.The touch panel 421 is an example of input device that enables the userto input a user instruction to the smartphone 4 through touching ascreen of the display 417.

The smartphone 4 further includes a bus line 410. The bus line 410 is anaddress bus or a data bus, which electrically connects the elements inFIG. 4 such as the CPU 401.

<Hardware Configuration of Server and PC>

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the serverand the PC, according to the embodiment. In this disclosure, since theterminal management server 5, destination management server 6, mailserver 7, print server 8, PC 10 a, and PC 10 b have a substantially thesame hardware structure, a hardware configuration of the terminalmanagement server 5 is described below as an example. In the followingdescription, even in case of describing the hardware configuration ofthe destination management server 6, mail server 7, print server 8, PC10 a, and PC 10 b, the elements in FIG. 5 are referred.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the terminal management server 5, which may beimplemented by a computer, includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, ahard disk (HD) 504, a hard disk drive (HDD) 505, a recording medium 506,a medium I/F 507, a display 508, a network I/F 509, a keyboard 511, amouse 512, a compact disc rewritable (CD-RW) drive 514, and a bus line510. Since the terminal management server 5 operates as a server, aninput device such as the keyboard 511 and the mouse 512, or an outputdevice such as the display 508 does not have to be provided.

The CPU 501 controls entire operation of the terminal management server5. The ROM 502 stores a control program for controlling the CPU 501 suchas an IPL. The RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501. The HD504 stores various data such as a control program. The HDD 505 controlsreading or writing of various data to or from the HD 504 under controlof the CPU 501. The medium I/F 507 controls reading or writing of datawith respect to a recording medium 506 such as a flash memory. Thedisplay 508 displays various information such as a cursor, menu, window,characters, or image. The network I/F 509 is an interface that controlscommunication of data with an external device through the communicationnetwork 100. The keyboard 511 is one example of input device providedwith a plurality of keys for allowing a user to input characters,numerals, or various instructions. The mouse 512 is one example of inputdevice for allowing the user to select a specific instruction orexecution, select a target for processing, or move a cursor beingdisplayed. The CD-RW drive 514 reads or writes various data with respectto a Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM) 513, which is one example of removablerecording medium.

The terminal management server 5 further includes a bus line 510. Thebus line 510 may be an address bus or a data bus, which electricallyconnects various elements such as the CPU 501 of FIG. 5.

<Hardware Configuration of MFP>

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP 9,according to the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the MFP 9includes a controller 910, a near-distance communication circuit 920, anengine controller 930, a control panel 940, and a network I/F 950.

The controller 910 includes a CPU 901 as a main processor, a systemmemory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) 906, a local memory(MEM-C) 907, a HDD 908, and a HD 909. The NB 903 and the ASIC 906 areconnected through an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) bus 921.

The CPU 901 controls entire operation of the MFP 9. The NB 903 connectsthe CPU 901, with the MEM-P 902, SB 904, and AGP bus 921. The NB 903includes a memory controller for controlling reading or writing ofvarious data with respect to the MEM-P 902, a Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (PCI) master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P 902 includes a ROM 902 a as a memory that stores program anddata for achieving various functions of the controller 910. The MEM-P902 further includes a RAM 902 b as a memory that deploys the programand data, or as a drawing memory that stores drawing data for printing.The program stored in the RANI 902 b may be stored in anycomputer-readable recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, floppy disk (FD),CD-R, or DVD, in a file format installable and executable by thecomputer, for distribution.

The SB 904 connects the NB 903 with a PCI bus 922 or a peripheraldevice. The ASTC 906 is an integrated circuit (IC) dedicated to an imageprocessing use, and connects the AGP bus 921, PCI bus 922, HDD 908, andMEM-C 907. The ASIC 906 includes a PCI target, an AGP master, an arbiter(ARB) as a central processor, a memory controller for controlling theMEM-C 907, a plurality of direct memory access controllers (DMACs)capable of converting coordinates of image data with a hardware logic,and a PCI unit that transfers data between the scanner controller 931and the printer controller 932 through the PCI bus 922. The ASIC 906 maybe connected to a USB interface, or the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers 1394 (IEEE1394) interface.

The MEM-C 907 is a local memory, which is used as a buffer for imagedata to be printed or code image. The HD 909 stores various image data,font data for printing, and form data. The HDD 908 reads or writesvarious data from or to the HD 909 under control of the CPU 901. The AGPbus 921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card, which hasbeen proposed to accelerate graphics processing. Through directlyaccessing the MEM-P 902 by high-throughput, processes by the AGP bus 921can be accelerated.

The near-distance communication circuit 920 is provided with an antenna920 a for the near-distance communication circuit 920. The near-distancecommunication circuit 920 is a communication circuit that communicatesin compliance with the NFC, the Bluetooth, and the like.

The engine controller 930 includes a scanner controller 931 and aprinter controller 932. The control panel 940 includes a display 940 aand various keys 940 b. The control panel 940 displays current settingsor a selection screen, and is provided with a touch panel for receivinga user input. The keys 940 b, which include such as a ten key and aStart key, are used by the user to enter set values of various imageforming parameters such as image density parameter. The controller 910controls entire operation of the MFP 9. In example operation, thecontroller 910 controls drawing, communication, or user inputs to thecontrol panel 940. The scanner controller 931 and the printer controller932 each performs various image processing, such as error diffusion orgamma conversion.

In response to an instruction to select a specific application throughthe control panel 940, for example, using a mode switch key, the MFP 9selectively performs a document box function, copy function, printfunction, and facsimile function. When the document box function isselected, the MFP 9 changes its operating mode to a document box mode tostore document data. With selection of the copy function, the MFP 9operates in a copy mode. With selection of the print function, the MFP 9operates in a printer mode. With selection of the facsimile function,the MFP 9 operates in a facsimile mode.

The network I/F 950 controls communication of data with an externaldevice through the communication network 100. The near-distancecommunication circuit 920 and the network I/F 950 are electricallyconnected to the ASIC 906 via the PCI bus 922.

<Hardware Configuration of Videoconference Terminal>

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of thevideoconference terminal 13 according to the embodiment. As illustratedin FIG. 7, the videoconference terminal 13 includes a CPU 101, a ROM102, a RAM 103, a flash memory 104, a SSD 105, a medium I/F 107, anoperation key 108, a power switch 109, a bus line 110, a network I/F 111a camera 112, an imaging element I/F 113, a microphone 114, a speaker115, an audio input/output I/F 116, a display I/F 117, an externaldevice connection I/F 118, a near-distance communication circuit 119,and an antenna 119 a for the near-distance communication circuit 119.The CPU 101 controls entire operation of the videoconference terminal13. The ROM 102 stores a control program for controlling the CPU 101such as an IPL. The RAM 103 is used as a work area for the CPU 101. Theflash memory 104 stores various data such as a communication controlprogram, image data, and audio data. The SSD 105 controls reading orwriting of various data to or from the flash memory 104 under control ofthe CPU 101. In alternative to the SSD, a hard disk drive (HDD) may beused. The medium I/F 107 controls reading or writing of data withrespect to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory. The operationkey (keys) 108 is operated by a user to input a user instruction such asa user selection of a communication destination of the videoconferenceterminal 13. The power switch 109 is a switch that receives aninstruction to turn on or off the power of the videoconference terminal13.

The network I/F 111 allows communication of data with an external devicethrough the communication network 100 such as the Internet. The camera112 is an example of built-in imaging device capable of capturing asubject to obtain image data under control of the CPU 101. The imagingelement I/F 113 is a circuit that controls driving of the camera 112.The microphone 114 is an example of built-in audio collecting devicecapable of inputting audio under control of the CPU 101. The audio I/OI/F 116 is a circuit for inputting or outputting an audio signal betweenthe microphone 114 and the speaker 115 under control of the CPU 101. Thedisplay I/F 117 is a circuit for transmitting image data to an externaldisplay 120 under control of the CPU 101. The external device connectionI/F 118 is an interface circuit that connects the videoconferenceterminal 13 to various external devices. The near-distance communicationcircuit 119 is a communication circuit that communicates in compliancewith the NFC, the Bluetooth, and the like.

The bus line 110 may be an address bus or a data bus, which electricallyconnects various elements such as the CPU 101 of FIG. 7.

The display 120 is an example of a displaying unit, such as a liquidcrystal or organic electroluminescence (EL) display that displays animage of a subject, an operation icon, or the like. The display 120 isconnected to the display I/F 117 by a cable 120 c. The cable 120 c maybe an analog red green blue (RGB) (VGA) signal cable, a component videocable, a HDMI signal cable, or a DVI signal cable.

The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state imaging element thatconverts an image (video) of a subject to electronic data by convertinglight to electric charge. As the solid-state imaging element, forexample, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or acharge-coupled device (CCD) is used. The external device connection I/F118 is capable of connecting an external device such as an externalcamera, an external microphone, or an external speaker through a USBcable or the like. In the case where an external camera is connected,the external camera is driven in preference to the built-in camera 112under control of the CPU 101. Similarly, in the case where an externalmicrophone is connected or an external speaker is connected, theexternal microphone or the external speaker is driven in preference tothe built-in microphone 114 or the built-in speaker 115 under control ofthe CPU 101.

The recording medium 106 is removable from the videoconference terminal13. The recording medium 106 can be any non-volatile memory that readsor writes data under control of the CPU 101, such that any memory suchas an EEPROM may be used instead of the flash memory 104.

<Example Screens of Electronic Whiteboard>

Referring to FIGS. 8A-8C, FIGS. 9A-9D, and FIGS. 10A-10D, examplescreens of the electronic whiteboard 2 are described according to theembodiment. FIGS. 8A-8C, FIGS. 9A-9D, and FIGS. 10A-10D each illustratesa screen displayed by the electronic whiteboard 2. The electronicwhiteboard 2 displays, on the display 220, a drawing image screen 230 asillustrated in FIG. 8A, for example. The drawing image screen 230displays a drawing image (such as a circle and a triangle in figure)drawn by the user with such as the electronic pen 2500. The drawingimage screen 230 displays a “Menu” button 231 and an “Exit” button 239 eat the lower right. The drawing image screen 230 displays a “Settings”button 233 at the lower left.

The “Menu” button 231 is a graphical image, which, when selected by theuser, causes the electronic whiteboard 2 to perform various types offunctions of the electronic whiteboard 2. The “Settings” button 233 is agraphical image, which, when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard2 to display a security configuration screen 300, which is describedlater. In alternative to the display 220 of the electronic whiteboard 2,the security configuration screen 300 may be displayed on a display ofthe PC 10. In this case, a user accesses the electronic whiteboard 2from a web browser installed on the PC 10 a or 10 b connected to thecommunication network 100 to display the security configuration screen300 on the browser. This enables the user to configure settings from thePC 10 a or 10 b.

The “Exit” button 239 e is a graphical image, which, when selected,enables the user to log out from the electronic whiteboard 2 and causesthe electronic whiteboard 2 to finish displaying a screen. When the userpresses the “Menu” button 231 with such as the electronic pen 2500, asillustrated in FIG. 8B, the electronic whiteboard 2 displays, on thedrawing image screen 230, a menu selection window (image) 232 forallowing selection of a function provided by the electronic whiteboard2.

As illustrated in FIG. 8B, the menu selection window 232 includes a“Read” button 234, a “Save” button 235, a “Print” button 236, an “Email”button 237, and a “QR code” button 239.

Of those buttons, the “Read” button 234 is a graphical image, which,when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard 2 to read drawing imagedata that is stored in the SSD 204 after the image is drawn, for displayonto the display 220. The “Save” button 235 is a graphical image, which,when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard 2 to store the drawingimage drawn by the user in the SSD 204 as the drawing image data. The“Print” button 236 is a graphical image, which, when selected, causesthe electronic whiteboard 2 to print the drawing image displayed on thedrawing image screen 230 using such as the MFP 9. The “Email” button 237is a graphical image, which, when selected, causes the electronicwhiteboard 2 to transmit, to the PC 10 a or the PC 10 b, etc., thedrawing image displayed on the drawing image screen 230, as the drawingimage data attached to the email. The “QR code” button 239 is agraphical image, which, when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard2 to display, on the display 220, a QR code (registered trademark)embedded with a device ID identifying the own device (that is, theelectronic whiteboard 2).

Next, example screens to be displayed by the electronic whiteboard 2when the buttons 234 to 237, 239 and 239 e are respectively selected,are described.

In response to pressing of the “Read” button 234 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a folderselection screen 240 as illustrated in FIG. 9A. The folder selectionscreen 240 displays a plurality of folder icons to be used for selectinga folder storing an electronic file to be read. When the user selects adesired folder icon (“folder 01”, for example) with the electronic pen2500, the electronic whiteboard 2 displays, on the display 220, a fileselection screen 245 as illustrated in FIG. 9B. The file selectionscreen 245 displays a plurality of file icons to be used for selectingan electronic file to be read. When the user selects a desired file iconwith the electronic pen 2500, the electronic whiteboard 2 displays, onthe display 220, a drawing image screen 230 including a drawing image ofthe selected file, as illustrated in FIG. 8A.

In response to pressing of the “Save” button 235 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a folderselection screen 250 as illustrated in FIG. 9C. The folder selectionscreen 250 displays a plurality of folder icons to be used for selectinga folder to store an electronic file. The user selects the folder tostore the electronic file, by selecting a desired folder icon with theelectronic pen 2500.

In response to pressing of the “Print” button 236 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a printconfiguration screen 260 as illustrated in FIG. 9D. The printconfiguration screen 260 displays a print requester field 266, andvarious types of print parameters. In this disclosure, a name of theuser who has logged in is displayed as a print requester name in theprint requester field 266. The various types of print parameters areindicated by menus 261 to 264, respectively, for selecting color ormonochrome printing, selecting a sheet size (A4, A3, etc.), selectingfaces to be printed (single-sided or duplex), and selecting the increaseor decrease of a number of pages to be printed. The print configurationscreen 260 further displays, in a field 265, a device name identifying aprinter (in this example, “MFP 9”). The print configuration screen 260further displays a “Print” button 267 to be pressed by the user to startprinting. For each of the screens illustrated in FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, and9D, “Cancel” buttons 249, 259, and 269 are displayed to return to thedrawing image screen 230 illustrated in FIG. 8A.

In response to pressing of the “Email” button 237 by the user A, adisplay control 24 of the electronic whiteboard 2 controls the display220 to display a destination configuration screen 270 illustrated inFIG. 10A. The destination configuration screen 270 includes a“Registered address book” tab 271 for showing registered emailaddresses, and a “Manual input” tab 272 for allowing the user tomanually input an email address with such as the electronic pen 2500. Inthis example, a case where the “Registered address book” tab 271 isselected is displayed. The destination configuration screen 270 displaysa registered address book field 273 that lists the registered emailaddresses. The destination configuration screen 270 further displays,below the registered address book field 273, an address configurationfield 274 that lists one or more email addresses, each representing adestination to which an email is actually sent. At the time when thedestination configuration screen 270 is displayed, an email address ofthe user who has logged in is displayed in the address configurationfield 274. In this example, an email address of the user A (e.g.,“USER1@ . . . ”) is displayed, which is transmitted at S19 as describedlater, when the user A logs in the electronic whiteboard 2. Thedestination configuration screen 270 further displays a “Send” button277 to be selected by the user to start transmission of email.

In another example, the electronic whiteboard 2 may display, on thedisplay 220, an email configuration screen 280 as illustrated in FIG.10B, as a screen to be displayed to an administrator or a serviceengineer, but not to the general user. The email configuration screen280 includes a server address field 281, a port number field 282, asender email address field 283, an authentication requirement field 284,an account field 285, and a password field 286.

The server address field 281 is a field to be entered with an IP addressof the mail server 7. The port number field 282 is a field to be enteredwith a port number of a port that the mail server 7 opens to acceptemails. The sender email address field 283 is previously set with anemail address assigned to the electronic whiteboard 2, as the electronicwhiteboard 2 is an email sender. That is, the email sender is not a useroperating the electronic whiteboard 2, but is previously set as theelectronic whiteboard 2. The authentication requirement field 284 is afield to be set with information indicating whether or not to requestthe mail server 7 to authenticate the email sender. The account field285 and the password field 286 are entered with account information,which is to be used by the mail server 7 to authenticate the electronicwhiteboard 2 using Send Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

In response to pressing of the “QR code” button 239 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a QR codedisplay screen 290 as illustrated in FIG. 10C. The QR code displayscreen 290 displays a QR code 291 embedded with the device ID foridentifying the electronic whiteboard 2 (the own device). For example,the user activates a QR code reader application installed on such as thesmartphone, to cause the activated reader application to read the QRcode 291 to obtain the device ID of the electronic whiteboard 2. The QRcode display screen 290 further includes an “End” button 297, whichswitches back from the QR code display screen 290 to the drawing imagescreen 230. For each of the screens illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B,“Cancel” buttons 279 and 289 are displayed to return to the drawingimage screen 230 illustrated in FIG. 8A.

The electronic whiteboard 2 further displays, on the display 220, thesecurity configuration screen 300 as illustrated in FIG. 10D, as ascreen that is displayed in accordance with the user's instruction. Thesecurity configuration screen 300 includes check boxes 301 and 302, anda pull-down menu 303. The check box 301 accepts an instruction to selectwhether to perform login authentication when the electronic whiteboard 2is started up. The check box 302 accepts an instruction to selectwhether to restore (recover) the previous drawing image and display(redisplay) when the electronic whiteboard 2 is started up. Thepull-down menu 303 accepts an instruction for setting a restorationtime-out period. The restoration time-out period is an elapsed time fromthe last time when the electronic whiteboard 2 was shut down by theturn-off of the power, during which the drawing image can be restored.The user puts or removes a mark to or from the check box 301 or thecheck box 302, and selects desired time in the pull-down menu 303 withsuch as the electronic pen 2500. Further, in response to pressing of a“Settings” button 307 by the user, a setting unit 27 (described later)configures settings that reflect the marked item and the selected time.

By contrast, referring again to FIG. 8A, when the user presses the“Exit” button 239 e with such as the electronic pen 2500, as illustratedin FIG. 8C, the electronic whiteboard 2 displays, on the drawing imagescreen 230, an exit window 238 for logging out and finishing thedisplay.

As illustrated in FIG. 8C, the exit window 238 includes a “Temporarilysave and exit” button 238 a, an “Exit” button 238 b, and a “Cancel”button 238 c.

The “Temporarily save and exit” button 238 a is a graphical image,which, when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard 2 to temporarilystore the drawing image data, allows the user to log out from theelectronic whiteboard 2, and causes the electronic whiteboard 2 tofinish display. The “Exit” button 238 b is a graphical image, which,when selected, allows the user to log out from the electronic whiteboard2, and causes the electronic whiteboard 2 to finish display, withouttemporarily storing the drawing image data. Accordingly, an imagerepresenting the drawing image data is not displayed (redisplayed) thenext time a user logs in. The “Cancel” button 238 c is a graphicalimage, which, when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard 2 tofinish display of the exit window 238 and return to the drawing imagescreen 230 illustrated in FIG. 8A.

Any one of the IDs described above is an example of identificationinformation identifying the device or terminal, or the user operatingthe device or terminal. The device ID is an example of deviceidentification information. The terminal ID is an example of terminalidentification information. The user ID is an example of useridentification information. Further, the device identificationinformation and the terminal identification information include amanufacturing number. Furthermore, the user identification informationincludes an employee number, a driver license number, and an individualnumber called “My Number” under the Japan's Social Security and TaxNumber System.

Further, any one of the above-described control programs may be recordedin a file in a format installable or executable on a computer-readablerecording medium for distribution. Examples of the recording mediuminclude, but not limited to, a compact disc-recordable (CD-R), digitalversatile disc (DVD), blue-ray disc, and SD card. In addition, suchrecording medium may be provided in the form of a program product tousers within a certain country or outside that country.

The servers 5, 6, 7, and 8 may be configured by a single computer or aplurality of computers to which divided portions (functions, means, orstorages) are arbitrarily allocated.

<Functional Configuration of Communication System>

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B and FIGS. 12A-12B, a functionalconfiguration of the communication system 1 is described according tothe embodiment. FIGS. 11A and 11B are a block diagram illustrating afunctional configuration of the communication system 1. In FIGS. 11A and11B, only a part of those terminals, devices, and servers illustrated inFIG. 1 is illustrated, which relates to processing or operationdescribed below.

<Functional Configuration of Electronic Whiteboard>

As illustrated in FIG. 11A, the electronic whiteboard 2 includes atransmitter and receiver 21, an acceptance unit 22, an image and audioprocessor 23, a display control 24, a determiner 25, a first generator26 a, a second generator 26 b, a setting unit 27, an obtainer andprovider 28, and a storing and reading processor 29. These units arefunctions that are implemented by or that are caused to function byoperating any of the elements illustrated in FIG. 2 in cooperation withthe instructions of the CPU 201 according to the electronic whiteboardcontrol program expanded from the SSD 204 to the RAM 203. The electronicwhiteboard 2 further includes a memory 2000, which is implemented by theRAM 203 and SSD 204 illustrated in FIG. 2.

(Each functional unit of Electronic Whiteboard)

Next, each functional unit of the electronic whiteboard 2 is describedaccording to the embodiment. The transmitter and receiver 21, which maybe implemented by the instructions of the CPU 201, the network I/F 205,and the external device connection OF 206, illustrated in FIG. 2,transmits or receives various data (or information) to or from otherterminal, apparatus, or system through the communication network 100.

The acceptance unit 22, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 201, the contact sensor 214, and the electronic pen controller 216,illustrated in FIG. 2, accepts various inputs from the user.

The image and audio processor 23 is implemented by the instructions ofthe CPU 201, illustrated in FIG. 2. The image and audio processor 23applies image processing to image data that is obtained by capturing asubject by the camera 2900. After the audio of the user is converted toan audio signal by the microphone 2700, the image and audio processor 23applies processing to audio data based on this audio signal. The imageand audio processor 23 outputs the audio signal according to the audiodata to the speaker 2800, and the speaker 2800 outputs audio. The imageand audio processor 23 obtains drawing image data, drawn by the userwith the electronic pen 2500 or the user's hand H onto the display 220,and converts the drawing image data to coordinate data. For example,when the electronic whiteboard 2 x transmits the coordinate data to theelectronic whiteboard 2 y at another site, the electronic whiteboard 2 ycontrols the display 220 to display a drawing image having the samecontent based on the received coordinate data.

The display control 24, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 2 and by the display controller 213illustrated in FIG. 2, controls the display 220 to display a drawingimage.

The determiner 25, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU201 illustrated in FIG. 2, determines whether the electronic whiteboard2 has received any terminal ID, for example, from the IC card 3 or thesmartphone 4.

The first generator 26 a, which is implemented by the instructions ofthe CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 2, generates image data in PDF, from thedrawing image data in bitmap that has been generated based on drawing bythe user. The second generator 26 b, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 2, generates image datain RPCS, from the drawing image data in bitmap that has been generatedbased on drawing by the user. The image data may be in any suitableformat other than RPCS, such as in PDL or PS.

The setting unit 27, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU201 illustrated in FIG. 2, configures settings such as an email sender,an email destination, or a print requester name of a user who requestsprinting in accordance with print data.

The obtainer and provider 28, which is implemented by the instructionsof the CPU 201 and the near-distance communication circuit 219 with theantenna 219 a, illustrated in FIG. 2, communicates with the IC card 3 orthe smartphone 4 to obtain or provide data from or to the IC card 3 orthe smartphone 4 by near-distance communication.

The storing and reading processor 29, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 201 and the SSD 204 illustrated in FIG. 2,performs processing to store various types of data in the memory 2000 orthe recording medium 2100 or to read various types of data stored in thememory 2000 or the recording medium 2100. Further, every time image dataand audio data are received in performing communication with otherelectronic whiteboard or videoconference terminal, the memory 2000overwrites the image data and audio data. The display 220 displays animage based on image data before being overwritten, and the speaker 2800outputs audio based on audio data before being overwritten. Therecording medium 2100 is implemented by the USB memory 2600 illustratedin FIG. 2.

<Functional Configuration of IC Card>

As illustrated in FIG. 11B, the IC card 3 includes an obtainer andprovider 38, and a storing and reading processor 39. These units arefunctions that are implemented by or that are caused to function byoperating any of the elements illustrated in FIG. 3 in cooperation withthe instructions of the CPU 311 according to the IC card control programexpanded from the EEPROM 314 to the RAM 313. The IC card 3 furtherincludes a memory 3000, which is implemented by the RAM 313 and theEEPROM 314 illustrated in FIG. 3.

(Each Functional Unit of IC Card)

Next, each functional unit of the IC card 3 is described according tothe embodiment. The obtainer and provider 38, which is implemented bythe instructions of the CPU 311 and the antenna coil 330 illustrated inFIG. 3, communicates with the electronic whiteboard 2 to obtain orprovide data from or to the electronic whiteboard 2 by near-distancecommunication.

The storing and reading processor 39, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 311 illustrated in FIG. 3, performs processingto store various types of data in the memory 3000 or read various typesof data stored in the memory 3000. The memory 3000 stores a terminal IDfor identifying the IC card 3 as one example of privately-ownedterminal.

<Functional Configuration of Smartphone>

As illustrated in FIG. 11B, the smartphone 4 includes an obtainer andprovider 48 and a storing and reading processor 49. These units arefunctions that are implemented by or that are caused to function byoperating any of the elements illustrated in FIG. 4 in cooperation withthe instructions of the CPU 401 according to the smartphone controlprogram expanded from the EEPROM 404 to the RAM 403. The smartphone 4further includes a memory 4000, which is implemented by the RAM 403 andthe EEPROM 404 illustrated in FIG. 4.

(Each Functional Unit of Smartphone)

Next, each functional unit of the smartphone 4 is described according tothe embodiment. The obtainer and provider 48, which is implemented bythe instructions of the CPU401 and the near-distance communicationcircuit 419 with the antenna 419 a, illustrated in FIG. 4, communicateswith the electronic whiteboard 2 to obtain or provide data from or tothe electronic whiteboard 2 by near-distance communication.

The storing and reading processor 49, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 401 illustrated in FIG. 4, pertains processingto store various types of data in the memory 4000 or read various typesof data stored in the memory 4000. The memory 4000 stores a terminal IDfor identifying the smartphone 4 as one example of privately-ownedterminal.

<Functional Configuration of Terminal Management Server>

The terminal management server 5 includes a transmitter and receiver 51,an authenticator 52, and a storing and reading processor 59. These unitsare functions that are implemented by or that are caused to function byoperating any of the elements illustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation withthe instructions of the CPU 501 according to the terminal controlprogram expanded from the HD 504 to the RAM 503. The terminal managementserver 5 includes a memory 5000 implemented by the HD 504 illustrated inFIG. 5.

(Terminal Management Table)

FIG. 12A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a terminal managementtable according to the embodiment. The memory 5000 stores a terminalmanagement DB 5001, which is implemented by the terminal managementtable illustrated in FIG. 12A. The terminal management table illustratedin FIG. 12A stores, for each one of a plurality of privately-ownedterminals (IC card 3, smartphone 4) registered to the terminalmanagement server 5, a user ID identifying a user who owns theprivately-owned terminal and a user name in association with theterminal ID identifying the privately-owned terminal.

(Each Functional Unit of Terminal Management Server)

Next, each functional unit of the terminal management server 5 isdescribed in detail according to the embodiment. In the followingdescription of the functional configuration of the terminal managementserver 5, relationships of one or more hardware elements in FIG. 5 witheach functional unit of the terminal management server 5 in FIG. 11Awill also be described.

The transmitter and receiver 51 of the terminal management server 5illustrated in FIG. 11A, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated inFIG. 5, transmits or receives various types of data (or information) toor from another terminal, device, or system via the communicationnetwork 100.

The authenticator 52, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5, determines whether a terminal IDtransmitted from the electronic whiteboard 2 is a privately-ownedterminal (IC card 3, smartphone 4) owned by the authorized user, whichis previously registered.

The storing and reading processor 59, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the HDD 505illustrated in FIG. 5, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 5000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 5000.

<Functional Configuration of Destination Management Server>

The destination management server 6 includes a transmitter and receiver61, and a storing and reading processor 69. These units are functionsthat are implemented by or that are caused to function by operating anyof the elements illustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation with theinstructions of the CPU 501 according to the destination managementprogram expanded from the HD 504 to the RAM 503. The destinationmanagement server 6 includes a memory 6000 implemented by the HD 504illustrated in FIG. 5.

(Destination Management Table)

FIG. 12B is a conceptual diagram illustrating a destination managementtable according to an embodiment. The memory 6000 stores a destinationmanagement DB 6001 implemented by the destination management tableillustrated in FIG. 12B. The destination management table stores, foreach of one or more registered users being managed by the destinationmanagement server 6, a user ID identifying the user and an email addressof the PC 10 of the user, in association with each other.

(Each Functional Unit of Destination Management Server)

Next, each functional unit of the destination management server 6 isdescribed in detail according to the embodiment. In the followingdescription of the functional configuration of the destinationmanagement server 6, relationships of the hardware elements in FIG. 5with each functional unit of the destination management server 6 in FIG.11A will also be described.

The transmitter and receiver 61 of the destination management server 6illustrated in FIG. 11A, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated inFIG. 5, transmits or receives various types of data (or information) toor from another terminal, device, or system via the communicationnetwork 100.

The storing and reading processor 69, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the HDD 505illustrated in FIG. 5, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 6000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 6000.

<Functional Configuration of Mail Server>

The mail server 7 includes a transmitter and receiver 71, and a storingand reading processor 79. These units are functions that are implementedby or that are caused to function by operating any of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation with the instructions of the CPU501 according to the destination management program expanded from the HD504 to the RAM 503. The mail server 7 includes a memory 7000 implementedby the HD 504 illustrated in FIG. 5

(Each Functional Unit of Mail Server)

Next, each functional unit of the mail server 7 is described in detailaccording to the embodiment. In the following description of thefunctional configuration of the mail server 7, relationships of thehardware elements in FIG. 5 with each functional unit of the mail server7 in FIG. 11A will also be described.

The transmitter and receiver 71 of the mail server 7 illustrated in FIG.11A, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU 501 illustratedin FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated in FIG. 5, transmits orreceives various types of data (or information) to or from anotherterminal, device, or system via the communication network 100.

The storing and reading processor 79, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the HDD 505illustrated in FIG. 5, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 7000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 7000.

<Functional Configuration of Print Server>

The print server 8 includes a transmitter and receiver 81, and a storingand reading processor 89. These units are functions that are implementedby or that are caused to function by operating any of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation with the instructions of the CPU501 according to the print management program expanded from the HD 504to the RAM 503. The print server 8 includes a memory 8000 implemented bythe HD 504 illustrated in FIG. 5. The memory 8000 stores data relatingto an image (in this example, print data) transmitted from theelectronic whiteboard 2, etc.

(Print Data Management Table)

FIG. 12C is a conceptual diagram illustrating a print data managementtable according to the embodiment. The memory 8000 stores a print datamanagement DB 8001 implemented by the print data management tableillustrated in FIG. 12C. The print data management table illustrated inFIG. 12C stores a user name for identifying a user who owns theprivately-owned terminal, a file name of data to be printed such as thedata relating to an image (in this example, print data), and printsetting parameters, in association with one another.

(Each Functional Unit of Print Server)

Next, each functional unit of the print server 8 is described in detailaccording to the embodiment. In the following description of thefunctional configuration of the print server 8, relationships of thehardware elements in FIG. 5 with each functional unit of the printserver 8 in FIG. 11A will also be described.

The transmitter and receiver 81 of the print server 8 illustrated inFIG. 11A, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU 501illustrated in FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated in FIG. 5,transmits or receives various types of data (or information) to or fromanother terminal, device, or system via the communication network 100.

The storing and reading processor 89, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the HDD 505illustrated in FIG. 5, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 8000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 8000.

<Functional Configuration of MFP>

As illustrated in FIG. 11B, the MFP 9 includes a transmitter andreceiver 91, an acceptance unit 92, a print unit 93, a display control94, a determiner 95, an obtainer and provider 98, and a storing andreading processor 99. These units are functions that are implemented byor that are caused to function by operating any of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 6 in cooperation with the instructions of the CPU901 according to the print control program expanded to the RAM 902 b.The MFP 9 further includes a memory 9000 implemented by the HD 909illustrated in FIG. 6.

(Each Functional Unit of MFP)

Next, each functional unit of the MFP 9 is described in detail accordingto the embodiment. In the following description of the functionalconfiguration of the MFP 9, relationships of one or more hardwareelements in FIG. 6 with each functional unit of the MFP 9 in FIG. 11Bwill also be described.

The transmitter and receiver 91 of the MFP 9 illustrated in FIG. 11B,which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU 901 illustrated inFIG. 6 and by the network I/F 950 illustrated in FIG. 6, transmits orreceives various types of data (or information) to or from anotherterminal, device, or system via the communication network 100.

The acceptance unit 92, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 901 and the control panel 940 illustrated in FIG. 6, accepts variousinputs from the user.

The print unit 93, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU901 illustrated in FIG. 6 and the printer controller 932, prints animage based on the data relating to an image (print data).

The display control 94, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 901 and the control panel 940 illustrated in FIG. 6, displays printsetting parameters to be set when performing a copying process, such ascolor printing or monochrome printing, for example.

The determiner 95, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU901 illustrated in FIG. 6, determines, for example, whether anauthentication result transmitted from the terminal management server 5indicates that the IC card 3 (terminal ID) is a legitimate IC card.

The obtainer and provider 98, which is implemented by the instructionsof the CPU 901 and the near-distance communication circuit 920 with theantenna 920 a, illustrated in FIG. 6, communicates with the IC card 3 orthe smartphone 4 to obtain or provide data from or to the IC card 3 orthe smartphone 4 by near-distance communication.

The storing and reading processor 99, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 901 illustrated in FIG. 6 and the HDD 908illustrated in FIG. 6, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 9000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 9000.

<Functional Configuration of PC>

As illustrated in FIG. 11B, the PC 10 includes a transmitter andreceiver 11, an acceptance unit 12, a display control 14, and a storingand reading processor 19. These units are functions that are implementedby or that are caused to function by operating any of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation with the instructions of the CPU501 according to the terminal control program expanded from the HD 504to the RAM 503. The PC 10 further includes a memory 1000 implemented bythe HD 504 illustrated in FIG. 5.

(Each Functional Unit of PC)

Next, each functional unit of the PC 10 is described according to theembodiment. The transmitter and receiver 11 of the PC 10 illustrated inFIG. 11B, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU 501illustrated in FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated in FIG. 5,transmits or receives various types of data (or information) to or fromanother terminal, device, or system via the communication network 100.

The acceptance unit 12, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501, keyboard 511, and mouse 512, illustrated in FIG. 5, acceptsvarious inputs from the user.

The display control 14, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5, controls the display 508 to display suchas a drawing image.

The storing and reading processor 19, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 and the HDD 505 illustrated in FIG. 5,performs processing to store various types of data in the memory 1000 orthe recording medium 1100 or to read various types of data stored in thememory 1000 or the recording medium 1100. The recording medium 1100 isimplemented by the recording medium 506 illustrated in FIG. 5.

<Operation>

In the following, operations, performed by the communication system 1,are described according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Thefollowing describes an example case in which the user A and the user Bare having a meeting in a certain meeting room using the electronicwhiteboard 2 x, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In this example, the user Aperforms a login process. Further, in this example, a description isgiven of a case in which, while drawing an image after the loginprocess, the user A or the user B brings his or her hand into proximityof the selection switches 223 illustrated in FIG. 15 in order to pressthe selection switches 223, but accidentally presses the power switch222. The selection switches 223 includes a switch for switching an inputinterface connecting the PC to the capturing device 211. Examples ofthis input interface include VGA, HDMI, DVI, USB (from 3.0), and DisplayPort.

When the user accidentally presses the power switch during use of theshared terminal, the shared terminal is turned off and the image databeing drawn (displayed) is erased. To address such issue, the sharedterminal may include a function of restoring (recovering) the image datato redisplay an image represented by image data. However, as the sharedterminal can be shared by the plurality of users, when starting a latermeeting or lecture, another user can see the redisplayed image. Asdescribed below, the following shared terminal is capable ofredisplaying the previous image, while ensuring the security.

<Login Process>

Referring to FIGS. 13 to 16, a description is given of a login processperformed by the user A to the electronic whiteboard 2 x. FIG. 13 is asequence diagram illustrating a login process according to theembodiment. FIGS. 14A, 14B, 14C and 14D each illustrates an examplescreen displayed on the display 220 of the electronic whiteboard 2 x.FIG. 15 is an illustration for explaining a use scenario of theelectronic whiteboard 2 x, according to the embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, on the side surface of the housing of thedisplay 220 of the electronic whiteboard 2 x, the power switch 222 andthe selection switches 223 are provided side by side in a verticaldirection. This side-by-side arrangement of the power switch 222 and theselection switches 223 is due to the specification of the display 220determined by a manufacturer of the display 220. In other words, at thetime when a manufacturer of the electronic whiteboard 2 purchases thedisplay 220 from the manufacturer of the display 220, the power switch222 is already disposed near the selection switches 223 alongside theselection switches 223 on a same surface of the housing of the display220. Further, at the lower right of the display 220, a near-distancecommunication device 221 is provided, which corresponds to thenear-distance communication circuit 219. When the user brings his or herprivately-owned terminal such as the IC card 3 or the smartphone 4 intoproximity of the near-distance communication device 221, the obtainerand provider 28 illustrated in FIG. 11A obtains the terminal ID from theprivately-owned terminal.

When the user A presses the power switch 222 of the electronicwhiteboard 2 x to start a meeting, the determiner 25 determines whetherthe settings that are configured by the setting unit 27 indicate thatlogin authentication is to be performed when the electronic whiteboard 2x is started up (S10). When the determiner 25 determines that thesettings are not configured to perform login authentication, theoperation proceeds to S21. By contrast, when the determiner 25determines that the settings are configured to perform loginauthentication, the operation proceeds to S11. A description is givenhereinafter of a case in which the determiner 25 determines that thesettings are configured to perform login authentication when theelectronic whiteboard 2 is started up.

The display control 24 controls the display 220 to display a loginscreen 170 as illustrated in FIG. 14A (S11). Next, as illustrated inFIG. 15, the user A brings his or her IC card 3 into proximity of thenear-distance communication device 221 of the electronic whiteboard 2 x,or places his or her IC card 3 over the near-distance communicationdevice 221. In response to detection of the IC card 3, the obtainer andprovider 28 of the electronic whiteboard 2 x obtains the terminal ID foridentifying the IC card 3, from the obtainer and provider 38 of the ICcard 3 (S12). The transmitter and receiver 21 of the electronicwhiteboard 2 x transmits a request for login authentication to theterminal management server 5 (S13). This request for loginauthentication includes the terminal ID obtained at S12. The terminalmanagement server 5 receives the request for login authentication at thetransmitter and receiver 51.

Next, the authenticator 52 of the terminal management server 5 performslogin authentication of the IC card 3 using the terminal ID that isobtained (S14). More specifically, the storing and reading processor 59searches the terminal management table (FIG. 12A) in the terminalmanagement DB 5001 using the terminal ID received at S13 as a searchkey, to obtain the user ID associated with the terminal ID. When theuser ID associated with the terminal ID is found, the authenticator 52confirms the terminal ID of the IC card 3 to determine that the IC card3 (terminal ID) is a legitimate IC card owned by the authorized useridentified with the user ID that is found. When the user ID associatedwith the terminal ID is not found, the authenticator 52 determines thatthe IC card 3 (terminal ID) is not a legitimate IC card owned by theauthorized user.

Next, the transmitter and receiver 51 of the terminal management server5 transmits an authentication result to the electronic whiteboard 2 x(S15). When the authenticator 52 determines that the IC card 3 is alegitimate IC card, the authentication result includes informationindicating that the IC card 3 is a legitimate IC card, the user IDidentifying the user who owns the IC card 3, and the user name. When theauthenticator 52 determines that the IC card 3 is not a legitimate ICcard, the authentication result includes information indicating that theIC card 3 is not a legitimate IC card. The transmitter and receiver 21of the electronic whiteboard 2 x receives the authentication result.

Next, the electronic whiteboard 2 x performs processing based on theauthentication result (S16). Referring to FIG. 16, a description isgiven of S16 of the processing performed based on the authenticationresult. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to theauthentication result when logging in.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the determiner 25 determines whetherinformation included in the authentication result received at S15indicates that the IC card 3 is a legitimate IC card (S16-1). In otherwords, the deter miner 25 determines whether the terminal ID transmittedat S13 is a legitimate terminal ID. When the determiner 25 determinesthat the information included in the authentication result indicatesthat the IC card 3 is not a legitimate IC card, i.e., that login hasfailed (S16-1: NO), the display control 24 controls the display 220 todisplay an error notification screen 180 as illustrated in FIG. 14B(S16-2). When the determiner 25 determines that the information includedin the authentication result indicates that the IC card 3 is alegitimate IC card, i.e., that login is successful (S16-1: YES), thedeterminer 25 further determines whether the last power-off of theelectronic whiteboard 2 x was caused by operation of the power switch222 (S16-3). When the determiner 25 determines that the last power-offof the electronic whiteboard 2 x is caused by operation of the powerswitch 222 (S16-3: YES), the determiner 25 further determines whetherthe settings that are configured through the security settingconfiguration 300 as illustrated in FIG. 10D indicate that redisplay(restoration of the image) is to be performed (S16-4) When thedeterminer 25 determines that the settings are configured to performredisplay (S16-4: YES), the storing and reading processor 29 reads outthe user ID that is stored and kept in the memory 2000 (S16-5).

Next, the determiner 25 determines whether the user ID (the last userID) that is read out at S16-5 matches the specific user ID that isreceived at S15 (S16-6). When the determiner 25 determines that theprevious user ID matches the user ID received at S15 (S16-6: YES), thestoring and reading processor 29 reads out, from the memory 2000, thedrawing image data to be redisplayed, and the previous email addressthat had been received before the electronic whiteboard 2 x was turnedoff by operation of the power switch 222 (S16-7). The display control 24controls the display 220 to redisplay an image representing the previousimage data based on the drawing image data that is read out (S16-8).This enables to redisplay an image representing the drawing image datathat was interrupted during drawing, even when the user accidentallypressed the power switch 222 near the selection switches 223.Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the users from getting confuseddue to interruption of a meeting or the like.

By contrast, when the determiner 25 determines that the last power-offwas not caused by the operation of the power switch 222, that is, thepower was normally turned off through shutdown by pressing of the“Temporarily save and exit” button 238 a or the “Exit” button 238 billustrated in FIG. 8C on the screen (S16-3: NO), the operation proceedsto S17. Further, when the determiner 25 determines that the settingsthat are configured through the security configuration screen 300 do notindicate that redisplay (restoration of the image) is to be performed(S16-4: NO), the operation proceeds to S17. Further, when the determiner25 determines that the user ID that is read out at 516-5 does not matchthe user ID received at S15 (S16-6: NO), the operation proceeds to S17.

The following describes the case where the authentication resultincludes the information indicating that the IC card 3 is a legitimateIC card. The transmitter and receiver 21 of the electronic whiteboard 2x transmits a request for an email address to the destination managementserver 6 (S17) The email address request includes the user ID that isreceived at S15. The destination management server 6 receives the emailaddress request at the transmitter and receiver 61.

Next, the storing and reading processor 69 of the destination managementserver 6 searches the destination management table (FIG. 12B) in thedestination management DB 6001, using the user ID received at S17 as asearch key, to obtain the email address associated with the user ID(S18). The transmitter and receiver 61 transmits a response to the emailaddress request to the electronic whiteboard 2 x (S19). The responseincludes an email address that is read out at S18. The electronicwhiteboard 2 x receives the response to the email address request at thetransmitter and receiver 21.

Next, the setting unit 27 of the electronic whiteboard 2 x sets an emailsender and an email destination (S20). Specifically, the display control24 displays the email configuration screen 280 illustrated in FIG. 10B,in which an email address in the sender email address field 283 isswitched from the email address assigned to the electronic whiteboard 2x to the email address of the user who has logged in. Further, thedisplay control 24 displays the destination configuration screen 270 asillustrated in FIG. 10A, in which the email address of the user who haslogged in is displayed in the address configuration field 274.

Further, the display control 24 controls the display 220 to display adrawing start screen 190 that includes a ticker indicating that the usercan start drawing, such as “Welcome, Mr. Kato”, as illustrated in FIG.14C (S21). This text “Kato” is generated using the user name that isreceived at S15. Thus, the user A and the user B are able to startdrawing on the electronic whiteboard 2 x.

<Power-Off Process>

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 17, a description is given of a power-offprocess of the electronic whiteboard 2 x. FIG. 17 is a flowchartillustrating a process of turning off the power.

The following describes an example case in which while the user A isdrawing an image as illustrated in FIG. 8A in a meeting, the user Aextends his or her arm to press the selection switches 223 on the sidesurface of the housing of the electronic whiteboard 2 x, butaccidentally presses the power switch 222. In response to pressing ofthe power switch 222 by the user A, the acceptance unit 22 accepts thepower-off of the electronic whiteboard 2 x (S31).

Next, the determiner 25 determines that the current power-off that isaccepted at S31 is caused by operation of the power switch 222 (S32).When the determiner 25 determines that the current power-off is causedby the operation of the power switch 222 (S32: YES), the determiner 25further determines whether the settings that are configured though thesecurity configuration screen 300 as illustrated in FIG. 10D indicatethat login authentication is to be performed (S33). When the determiner25 determines that the settings are configured to perform loginauthentication (S33: YES), the determiner 25 further determines whetherthe settings that are configured though the security configurationscreen 300 indicate that redisplay (restoration of the image) is to beperformed (S34). When the determiner 25 determines that the settings areconfigured to perform redisplay (S34: YES), the storing and readingprocessor 29 saves, in the memory 2000, the user ID obtained at S12,drawing image data that is being drawn, and the email address of user Athat is obtained at S19 (S35). After S35, the power is turned off (S36).The memory 2000 is implemented by a nonvolatile memory, that is, amemory that prevents data from being erased even after the power isturned off. Accordingly, the user ID, the drawing image data and theemail address are kept saved even after the power is turned off.

By contrast, when the deter miner 25 determines that the currentpower-off that is accepted at S31 is not caused by the operation of thepower switch 222, that is, the power is going to be turned off throughshutdown by pressing of the “Temporarily save and exit” button 238 a orthe “Exit” button 238 b illustrated in FIG. 8C on the screen (S32: NO),the operation proceeds to S36, and the power is turned off withoutsaving the user ID, etc. Further, when the determiner 25 deter minesthat the settings that are configured through the security configurationscreen 300 do not indicate that login authentication is to be performed(S33: NO), the operation proceeds to S36, and the power is turned offwithout saving the user ID, etc. Further, when the determiner 25determines that the settings that are configured through the securityconfiguration screen 300 do not indicate that redisplay (restoration ofthe image) is to be performed (S34: NO), the operation proceeds to S36,and the power is turned off without saving the user ID, etc.

In another example, after the acceptance of the power-off by theacceptance unit 22 at S31 the operation may proceed to S35 withoutperforming at least one of the processes of S31 to S34.

As described above, in the embodiment, a privately-owned device such asan IC card is used for logging in a shared terminal such as theelectronic whiteboard 2 x that can be shared by a plurality of users.Accordingly, security is ensured.

Further, when the last power-off was caused by operation of the powerswitch 222 (S16-3: YES) and when the previous user ID that is stored inthe memory 2000 matches the specific user ID that is received (S16-6:YES), the display control 24 controls the display 220 to redisplay animage that was displayed immediately before the last power-off (S16-8).By contrast, when the previous user ID does not match the specific userID (S16-6: NO), the display control 24 does not display the image thatwas displayed immediately before the last power-off (S17). Accordingly,even when the user A tried to press the selection switches 223 buterroneously pressed the power switch 222 and thereby the power wasturned off while the user A was drawing an image, the user A againstarts up the electronic whiteboard 2 x and brings his or her own ICcard 3 into proximity of the near-distance communication device 221 tocause the electronic whiteboard 2 x to redisplay the image that wasbeing drawn before the power-off. By contrast, when a user C, who is adifferent person from the user A who previously logged in the electronicwhiteboard 2 x, starts up the electronic whiteboard 2 x and brings hisor her privately-owned terminal such as an IC card into proximity of thenear-distance communication device 221, the previous image is notredisplayed. Accordingly, for a user such as the user A who previouslylogged in, there is no worry that the drawing image can been seen byother users such as the user C. This achieves redisplay of an imagebased on image data while ensuring security.

The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit thepresent invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example,elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may becombined with each other and/or substituted for each other within thescope of the present invention.

Any one of the above-described operations may be performed in variousother ways, for example, in an order different from the one describedabove.

Each of the functions of the described embodiments may be implemented byone or more processing circuits or circuitry. Processing circuitryincludes a programmed processor, as a processor includes circuitry. Aprocessing circuit also includes devices such as an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), and conventional circuit componentsarranged to perform the recited functions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shared terminal that displays an image drawnwith an electronic pen by a user to be viewed by a plurality of users ona display, the shared terminal comprising: circuitry to: accept aturning-on operation to a power switch of the shared terminal that hasbeen turned off, and obtain, from a specific privately-owned terminalowned by a specific user of the plurality of users, specific terminalidentification information for identifying the specific privately-ownedterminal, after accepting the turning-on operation to the power switch;a transmitter to transmit, to a terminal management server, a requestfor login authentication together with the specific terminalidentification information obtained by the circuitry, the terminalmanagement server storing, for each one of the plurality of users, useridentification information for identifying the user in association withterminal identification information for identifying a privately-ownedterminal owned by the user; and a receiver to receive, from the terminalmanagement server, an authentication result including informationindicating that the specific terminal identification information is alegitimate terminal identification information and specific useridentification information that is associated with the specific terminalidentification information, when the request for the loginauthentication is approved based on determination by the terminalmanagement server that the specific terminal identification informationreceived from the transmitter is stored in the terminal managementserver, wherein the circuitry controls the display, to redisplay theimage that was displayed immediately before a last turn-off of thepower, in a case in which the last turn-off of the power was due to aturning-off operation to the power switch and previous useridentification information, that is stored before the last turn-off,matches the specific user identification information that is received bythe receiver, and the circuitry controls the display, to not redisplaythe image that was displayed immediately before the last turn-off of thepower, in a case in which the previous user identification informationdoes not match the specific user identification information received bythe receiver.
 2. The shared terminal of claim 1, further comprising: aselection switch for adjusting a brightness or a hue of the display orfor switching an input interface, wherein the selection switch and thepower switch are disposed on a same surface of a housing of the sharedterminal.
 3. The shared terminal of claim 2, wherein the power switchand the selection switch are disposed side by side.
 4. The sharedterminal of claim 1, wherein the circuitry further determines whetherthe previous user identification information matches the specific useridentification information received by the receiver in a case in whichthe last turn-off of the power was due to the turning-off operation tothe power switch.
 5. The shared terminal of claim 1, wherein thecircuitry further configures a setting for performing or not performingthe login authentication based on an instruction for configuring thesetting, the transmitter transmits the request for the loginauthentication, based on the setting configured for performing the loginauthentication, together with the specific terminal identificationinformation, and the circuitry controls the display, to not redisplaythe image that was displayed immediately before the last turn-off of thepower, based on the setting configured for not performing the loginauthentication.
 6. The shared terminal of claim 5, wherein the circuitryfurther configures a second setting, for performing or not performingredisplay of the image that was displayed immediately before the lastturn-off of the power, based on an instruction for configuring or notconfiguring the second setting, the circuitry controls the display toredisplay the image that was displayed immediately before the lastturn-off of the power based on the second setting configured forperforming the redisplay, in a case in which the last turn-off of thepower was caused by the turning-off operation to the power switch, andthe previous user identification information that is stored matches thespecific user identification information received by the receiver, andthe circuitry controls the display to not redisplay the image that wasdisplayed immediately before the last turn-off of the power based on thesetting configured for not performing the redisplay, even in a case inwhich the last turn-off of the power was caused by the turning-offoperation to the power switch.
 7. The shared terminal of claim 6,wherein the circuitry controls a memory to store the specific useridentification information as the previous user identificationinformation, in response to accepting the turning-off operation to thepower switch, based on the setting configured for performing theredisplay, the memory being a memory capable of preventing data frombeing erased even after the power is turned off.
 8. The shared terminalof claim 1, wherein the privately-owned terminal is an integratedcircuit (IC) card or a smartphone.
 9. A display control method ofcontrolling display of an image drawn with an electronic pen by a useron a display, performed by a shared terminal to be shared by a pluralityof users, the display control method comprising: accepting a turning-onoperation to a power switch of the shared terminal that has been turnedoff; obtaining, from a specific privately-owned terminal owned by aspecific user of the plurality of users, specific terminalidentification information for identifying the specific privately-ownedterminal, after accepting the turning-on operation to the power switch;transmitting, to a terminal management server, a request for loginauthentication together with the specific terminal identificationinformation that is obtained, the terminal management server storing,for each one of the plurality of users, user identification informationfor identifying the user in association with terminal identificationinformation for identifying a privately-owned terminal owned by theuser; receiving, from the terminal management server, an authenticationresult including information indicating that the specific terminalidentification information is a legitimate terminal identificationinformation and specific user identification information that isassociated with the specific terminal identification information, whenthe request for login authentication is approved based on determinationby the terminal management server that the specific terminalidentification information that is received from the shared terminal isstored in the terminal management server; first determining whether alast turn-off of the power was due to a turning-off operation to thepower switch; and when the first determining indicates that the lastturn-off of the power was due to the turning-off operation to the powerswitch: second determining whether previous user identificationinformation, that is stored before the last turn-off of the power,matches the specific user identification information that is receivedfrom the terminal management server; controlling the display toredisplay the image that was displayed immediately before the lastturn-off of the power when the second determining indicates that theprevious user identification information matches the specific useridentification information received from the terminal management server;and controlling the display to not redisplay the image that wasdisplayed immediately before the last turn-off of the power when thesecond determining indicates that the previous user identificationinformation that is stored does not match the specific useridentification information received from the terminal management server.10. The display control method of claim 9, further comprising:adjusting, via input to a selection switch, a brightness or a hue of thedisplay, wherein the selection switch and the power switch are disposedon a same surface of a housing of the shared terminal.
 11. The displaycontrol method of claim 10, wherein the power switch and the selectionswitch are disposed side by side.
 12. The display control methodterminal of claim 9, further comprising: determining whether theprevious user identification information matches the specific useridentification information received by the receiver in a case in whichthe last turn-off of the power was due to the turning-off operation tothe power switch.
 13. The display control method of claim 9, furthercomprising: configuring a setting for performing or not performing thelogin authentication based on an instruction for configuring thesetting; transmitting the request for the login authentication, based onthe setting configured for performing the login authentication, togetherwith the specific terminal identification information; and controllingthe display, to not redisplay the image that was displayed immediatelybefore the last turn-off of the power, based on the setting configuredfor not performing the login authentication.
 14. The display controlmethod of claim 13, further comprising: configuring a second setting,for performing or not performing redisplay of the image that wasdisplayed immediately before the last turn-off of the power, based on aninstruction for configuring or not configuring the second setting;controlling the display to redisplay the image that was displayedimmediately before the last turn-off of the power based on the secondsetting configured for performing the redisplay, in a case in which thelast turn-off of the power was caused by the turning-off operation tothe power switch, and the previous user identification information thatis stored matches the specific user identification information receivedby the receiver; and controlling the display to not redisplay the imagethat was displayed immediately before the last turn-off of the powerbased on the setting configured for not performing the redisplay, evenin a case in which the last turn-off of the power was caused by theturning-off operation to the power switch.
 15. The display controlmethod of claim 14, further comprising: controlling a memory to storethe specific user identification information as the previous useridentification information, in response to accepting the turning-offoperation to the power switch, based on the setting configured forperforming the redisplay, wherein the memory is a memory capable ofpreventing data from being erased even after the power is turned off.16. The display control method of claim 9, wherein the privately-ownedterminal is an integrated circuit (IC) card or a smartphone.
 17. Anon-computer readable medium storing computer executable instructionswhich, when executed by a shared terminal to be shared by a plurality ofusers, cause the shared terminal to perform a display control method ofcontrolling display of an image drawn with an electronic pen by a useron a display, the display control method comprising: accepting aturning-on operation to a power switch of the shared terminal that hasbeen turned off; obtaining, from a specific privately-owned terminalowned by a specific user of the plurality of users, specific terminalidentification information for identifying the specific privately-ownedterminal, after accepting the turning-on operation to the power switch;transmitting, to a terminal management server, a request for loginauthentication together with the specific terminal identificationinformation that is obtained, the terminal management server storing,for each one of the plurality of users, user identification informationfor identifying the user in association with terminal identificationinformation for identifying a privately-owned terminal owned by theuser; receiving, from the terminal management server, an authenticationresult including information indicating that the specific terminalidentification information is a legitimate terminal identificationinformation and specific user identification information that isassociated with the specific terminal identification information, whenthe request for login authentication is approved based on determinationby the terminal management server that the specific terminalidentification information that is received from the shared terminal isstored in the terminal management server; first determining whether alast turn-off of the power was due to a turning-off operation to thepower switch; and when the first determining indicates that the lastturn-off of the power was due to the turning-off operation to the powerswitch: second determining whether previous user identificationinformation, that is stored before the last turn-off of the power,matches the specific user identification information that is receivedfrom the terminal management server; controlling the display toredisplay the image that was displayed immediately before the lastturn-off of the power when the second determining indicates that theprevious user identification information matches the specific useridentification information received from the terminal management server;and controlling the display to not redisplay the image that wasdisplayed immediately before the last turn-off of the power when thesecond determining indicates that the previous user identificationinformation does not match the specific user identification informationreceived from the terminal management server.
 18. The non-computerreadable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:configuring a setting for performing or not performing the loginauthentication based on an instruction for configuring the setting;transmitting the request for the login authentication, based on thesetting configured for performing the login authentication, togetherwith the specific terminal identification information; and controllingthe display, to not redisplay the image that was displayed immediatelybefore the last turn-off of the power, based on the setting configuredfor not performing the login authentication.
 19. The non-computerreadable medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:configuring a second setting, for performing or not performing redisplayof the image that was displayed immediately before the last turn-off ofthe power, based on an instruction for configuring or not configuringthe second setting; controlling the display to redisplay the image thatwas displayed immediately before the last turn-off of the power based onthe second setting configured for performing the redisplay, in a case inwhich the last turn-off of the power was caused by the turning-offoperation to the power switch, and the previous user identificationinformation that is stored matches the specific user identificationinformation received by the receiver; and controlling the display to notredisplay the image that was displayed immediately before the lastturn-off of the power based on the setting configured for not performingthe redisplay, even in a case in which the last turn-off of the powerwas caused by the turning-off operation to the power switch.
 20. Thenon-computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method furthercomprises: controlling a memory to store the specific useridentification information as the previous user identificationinformation, in response to accepting the turning-off operation to thepower switch, based on the setting configured for performing theredisplay, wherein the memory is a memory capable of preventing datafrom being erased even after the power is turned off.